Validation of a test battery to assess functional autonomy of adults with spinal cord injury

Abstract

The present study aimed to create and validate a battery of motor tests related to activities of daily life (ADL), in order to evaluate the functional independence of individuals with spinal cord injury. For this, were selected 22 subjects by convenience, aged between 20 and 53 years, which were submitted to a battery of motors tests. This battery was underwent to process of validation of content, objectivity and reproducibility. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Coefficient of Intraclasses Correlation and t-Student test. The a = 5% was adopted. The main results shown that the tests of battery present clear description, they are related to ADL and they have applicability, making valid the battery content. Moreover, every tests have demonstrated high degree of objectivity (p = 1.00 e F = 0.00) and reproducibility (CCI >; 0.85). The formulation of this battery of specific tests for people with spinal cord injury can be a useful tool to evaluate some relevant parameters of their daily with effectiveness and quality, analyzing the subjects' independence.